The Republican journal., 1887-04-21
An Open Letter from Mr.. j. W. Mitchell.

or msrcprcsent' you, | do wish to say u few
words in reply to your unjus, statements.
You assail most bitterly for stating that
Waldo county paid 431iS.4l last year on account
| of drunkenness. You seek to show that have mis-
led the public on this point and state that this
pcnse is not on account OF "drunks, bat cramps"
Your aly, the Age man, says state a "faIschood"
when make this assertion, and do it knowingly
and wifuliy. How charactcrstically stupid his
charge is you will readily from the follow ing.
In the $50 cases that have led to this enormous
expense the record of the court is in each case
that the party was convicted of drunkenness.
There is the solemn record of the court. Read for
yourself. What is WRIT is writ, and must forever
stand Tie law makes this record indisputabe
evidence If the fact recorded. "Full faith and
credit" must be given it. The record oncc made,
no one may question it, 1t closes all mems mouths
forever. The issue has been tried and the judg-
ment of the court made and put record. There
it stands. All may read. No court in this State
woul allow the record to he disputed if it were
Introduced in evidence. Why then, pray, am
liar for stating that which the record shows: In
every case the record is '',!v,lnkenncsS.' / CON
sdercd no other form of crime in preparing ,ny
table. "Nagrancy, ",agabondaSe,' etc, put to
one side. Drunkenness, and that a!Dnc cost this
county the gross anont Of II 900; for in the table
prepared, ma'ie no account Of 'appealed eases
or surtl,y expenses ut the jail which will swell
the gross amount to between four and five tho,,s
and dollars, more hun tonrth pa:t Of tie
rhote coaniy fd.c.
II YOU not already satisfied that these men
were 'trunk,' and rot 'trtmps,' / Will state
that i'll these 80 Your deputies were com
plainants in between 80 and 40 warrants and of
course sw"rr that the complaint of drunkenness
was true. Your Turnkey. too WAS a witness iii
between =, and leo eases Packard testified in
more than 100 eases and Frisijec III between 10
and 40 One of Your neighhors, Il Young man hy
the name of Wtherlce, testified in q cases and an
other man named Collcy in Is. More than l5o 9th
witnesses testified also in these cases; and still
because state for Il fact what all this host of wit
ne-ses swear tn he true, am called liar
80 judgment! thou art iled to british beasts
And men have lost their reason
Nav il faith is to be placed in the records of the
court if Your deputies net pcrurrls; if your
turnkey speaks not falsely; if y"ur neigihors are
not liars if t!.r officers who made the arrests Know
their business; if the $50 other citizen, of Nalto
county have not forSWorn themselves, pray YOU
show wherein have spoken falsely. The fact is
YOU know spoke the truth, and therein is the
cause of your rage. The truth stings, and your
article shows that you feel the sting. No false
hood could have stirred you up IL such pitch Of
anger. The unreasonable abuse that YOU shower
upon me is plain proof that You have 30 good re
ply to make to my figures and the deduction from
them.
You say, "lhe>c people get into Jail through i'll
iucncc Wholly outside and beyond my control.
I"uEcver nEuiean effort To control the "tn1iueucc
! that gets them into ial. The "nnucncc" is found
i'll the twenty places in Belfast that pay United
states liquor dealers special tax. They filling
your hopper on the hill, and it is royal grist
do not charge that YOU ''cnnniyc with liquor sell
cr> iii or'erto keep the iail filled with druuhards,
! but do say that N"u ntkc no effort to prevent
them from filling it.
| In the four years that !ou have been sheriff /
| know of ht; one seizure that you have made, and
none in Belfast. You certainly cannot call this Il
| very robust enforcement. | neither charge, Nor
| intimate that yuu laIi to do your duty when Il
Warrant is placed in Nur hands. ON the contrary,
! know nf r"oHicer!n hose !ialh- would sooner
! place a warrant th;,n yours. / have reason to
| say that You viii hot faithfully tnd promptly obey
| the commands -! amy precept given You. have
always regarded You officer oi integrity with y
| high sense Of official honor. My only charge j.
/ mat You neglect ana refuse 10 enforce We pro
hiIit!,rv law mad tli. ,,,.,,Irt of ,,u,. ,Ir,t j. 81
...'',', ,,;. , ~.
'''"He " @''' ~ 'l''N county '"rl'"' "
Your record a. sheriff for pro, that yuG have Hot
,,,,,rc, tic Inv .,,l to ,,.,,r ou, ,,lI r. n,,f
!
| tH';' ~" Il" nov "'"hH !" enforce L. -" can
hardly deny that in tnc past You have NOT liftet
! vour hand to strengthen the law and from thj :
| alone Il strong presumption Woult arise that You
do not intend toto lou are the chief executive
| officer in this county, and urun You more than
| iIrcemrnt oi the law. nr course others -harr in
Tins responsibility, h"i it il rcl! upon y"n. The
law rniuins upon yirinu~ pilirvi- hat plipalI.
| upoi YOU.
81, : c,,,,, - s., -, sh,,ir. ,,,d tb,i,
a',; Iii ti,4,,I ;, ~, 'i',i i! t; ,;''
'tp,'S W S srn,H iGirv .'" h @ ~,
~ .;,t .M t,i, no,'i''i,' , l''
,i,i.,ti,,,f Ini, ,nI .,,iri,i tI l,,r ,I
w. ;it t r or; i ii h'' "," @ ~
,'' t'''S" Hi'.v ~ t'."Ni''l' 'iu''is any " .nV
t'' u, H. 'i!'l''ttI i,
.;,: ,i. ,, ' i' t tr' =
@ : s !t",i i ~ @ .i - - ,t " '1 ', " ''o @ :, :,
| thereon, or lis f,,lnish,n1- t.. rotInty attorney
,r,n,rI ri 'uiti',,,, InI,, =, i, ,t: ,', +
rllIrrri ;t,"n,I.rs amr yirn,'t,,.
''i. .S''' "'''''''' - an" "''''>'N
| 1"u saN "Mr. hitr!irllS Ht;titr' at, That VIII
not aEu nave ,Ieriarr! ,iat WA n"' enforce tht
prnH"ry law, is absolutely false and he hileW il
! TO be :" when tie penncd the words. have never
! refused to 1t" my duty in regard t. this or any
other law and have always promptly and failh
| fully served all prcrcrtS which have come int
my possession. 1t i trile that have NOT resolved
| myself int" II smelling committee as | 'lo not
| understand tlat thls Is lnI Iunbcht upon me-
From tn" above one Would almost be led to he
iltvr that You ha't never read the section If law
above quoted. remember however, thai one
evening last fail, when called yotr attention tl
this srrtl"n You declared With much emphasis, Il
want you temperance folks 10 understand one
thing; always serve faithfully and promptly all
warrants placed in my bands, hut WN do noHr ~
yoHr - dilty Torh
You are always ready to "taithfully and
promptly ali iitccptS Giat come into Your posses
sion, so Your indignant refusal to ''rcsolve yoir.
self in;ua smelling committee, can have no refer
'ence to any other section thnn ths. You will dc
none of our "- dirty work" In other words
y"u Will mot diligently inquire into all violations {"
laws against Illegal sale oi Intoxicating liquors
You Will not enforce the prohibitory law. This
"'iiii=ent inquiry which the law commands, yoU
tcrln - dirty work and the one ho doe
ia atillhS c'ilihlt',t- me t>rth''ll tIillS Il
tf 'Ii"ftihtn'" "i VIC III " Is ''i7 iliiStht ni'iH
! s.--- dirty work. Ia '.rpS;,lNt Nour@tll into
-n,IIi,,,r committee i . r,fusnl t puf,.,r., IN,
| L,w Nnu walk our si,rcts nuh -,,. tu, IlV ,in{,
! tt, on An hands sin , not feel il incumbent @,
| van" ia m, k ..,iiIiurut iputirv into ali yiol,t
the duty that is enjoincl upon YOU You refuse tt
ito that duty, and III the same paragraph i'll which
You refuse. You call me liar or saying YOU iilv,
dunc so. Please preserve some trace OF jIstc,
l t,t,, ts I,4,.,f e